In October 2012, Thornton, her boyfriend and their two children, 3-year old Kendal and 4-year old Kelsey, had just moved into an apartment.

Three days later, neighbors sounded the alarm. They called Thornton's mother, Eleanor Chapman, and told her something was not right with her daughter.

Later, Thornton was charged with shooting her son in the head then drowning her daughter in the bathtub.

Police said she confessed to the killings.

She's waiting to go on trial, facing two counts of first-degree murder and a possible death sentence if found guilty.

However, Thornton's mother told WDSU that her daughter has a long history of mental illness: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, mood disorders and psychotic behavior, and she believes that if Thornton had gotten proper help, her grandchildren would be alive today.

Thornton's mother said she called the crisis unit twice and her daughter was committed to mental health hospitals around the region two times.

Chapman said she noticed her daughter's mental health declining after she had her second child, the 3-year old son.

While mental illness runs in the family, Chapman insists her daughter could have gotten more help.

When she was hospitalized, she stayed a matter of weeks and was released. When released, Thornton stopped taking her medication and admitted she had trouble focusing, had fears of being controlled. She became suspicious of those around her and was unable to function.

Chapman said the situation went from bad to worse when her daughter was denied disability assistance.

Family members told WDSU that the government found her condition wasn't severe enough. Without money, a job or state assistance, the family said Thornton's medicine and rides to the clinic stopped, with no followup.

WDSU talked to mental health expert Cecile Tebo, who says she sees cases like Thorton's more than she would like to admit. She knows there are challenges in southeast Louisiana when it comes to mental health care. Budget cuts have taken a steep toll on programs, the number of beds has dwindled and patients have fewer places to turn. Tebo said the challenge is to do more with less and believes the system failed Thornton.

If you know someone who suffers from mental illness and needs help, there are places you can call.